Flanged bearings are well known. Bearings having conical contact surfaces for supporting both radial and axial loads are also known, such as that disclosed in US 2013/0341458.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, wear of a bearing 20 (shown in cross-section) can cause a clearance 15 to form between a loaded shaft 10 and the surface of the bearing 20. When a bearing 20 with such a clearance 15 is subjected to an oscillating load, peak contact pressures can be much greater than the case in which no clearance 15 is present.
The present invention seeks to tackle at least some of the problems associated with the prior art or at least to provide a commercially acceptable alternative solution thereto.